3 Keys to Strategic Job Routing
Strategically Route Your Fleet for Best Use of Time, Fuel, Employees and More
Job routing is an area that contractors commonly overlook when scheduling service to their clients. We spend our lives behind the wheel of a truck (that is usually pulling a trailer) to sell our work, service our customers and put out fires. What managers and owners should focus on is how they can route their jobs strategically.
If you can route for profit, you will have leveraged the highest and best use of your time, fuel, fleet, employees and job environment. So, here are three keys to strategic job routing and how they can trickle down into other segments of your business and success.
Three Keys to Strategic Job Routing
- Reduce Total Distance to the Job- Market to improve your customer density around your office or dispatch points. Really consider bidding to service a property in a remote or difficult to get to location before you pull the trigger. If you can service two smaller customers that are located 15 minutes from the office or one larger one that is located 45 minutes from the office, option one beats option two 7 days a week.
- Best Time of Day to Travel– Don’t set yourself up to service a property that is 20 miles away at the end of the day. Optimize your routes so you’re not burning fuel and wasting precious daylight in traffic jams every day.
- Optimum Route Density– Hit as many customers on a route as possible. This will help with your marketing efforts as well. If you service more customers in one or two key markets you will increase the frequency and duration prospects are exposed to your brand. This results in a huge competitive advantage for you (just ask McDonalds), and makes it difficult for your competitors to overcome your dominance.
If you can route your jobs strategically, you will enjoy some serious advantages including reduced fuel cost, reduced opportunity cost, increased profit per employee and increased ROT (return on time). It’s completely worth the time and effort you put into setting up your strategic routes.
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